Summary
Highlights
74-year-old John Arthur Getreu is approached by an undercover officer under the guise of a minor car accident. He is arrested and taken in for questioning regarding a decades-old cold case.
Sergeant Cortez begins questioning John, confirming his personal information. John admits to a past arrest in Germany for the murder of a chaplain's daughter, Margaret Williams, a crime for which he served six years in prison.
The interrogation shifts to another accusation - a sexual assault from the Palo Alto Police Department. The video plays a clip of text stating that he was charged with sexual assault and strangling a girl, serving 30 days in jail.
Sgt. Cortez mentions a murder in the Stanford hills, asking John if he ever went to the area around Page Road or knew a young woman, Leslie Marie Perlov, who was found murdered there. John denies knowing her or the area.
Cortez reveals that John's DNA was found on Leslie. John shows he is knowledgeable about DNA transfers and mentions 'two young women', even though Cortez has only mentioned Leslie at this point in the interview.
John inadvertently mentions another girl found up on a hill which is a veiled reference to Janet Taylor, whose case was not revealed. Police did not mention another victim, so this is a red flag.
Investigators confront John with the DNA evidence and his inconsistencies. John denies guilt but struggles to explain the evidence. Ultimately, he requests a lawyer, ending the interrogation.
John Arthur Getreu is arrested and booked. DNA evidence links him to Janet Taylor's murder as well. He is found guilty of first-degree murder in Taylor's killing and sentenced to life in prison. He later pleads guilty to Leslie Perlov's murder and receives another life sentence. He died in prison in 2023.